On The Mound – Nothing good at all from the Iowa Cubs pitching today. Drew Carpenter got the start and was lit up, giving up five runs on six hits while walking three and striking out one in four innings of work. Jaye Chapman worked one inning giving up two runs on three hits while walking none and striking out one. Cory Wade worked 1.2 innings, he gave up one run on four hits while walking one and striking out one. Blake Parker gave up two runs on two hits while walking one and striking out three in 1.1 innings.

At The Plate – The Smokies did some major work at the plate in this one as eight of the nine starters had at least one hit. Jae-Hoon Ha was 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base, and two runs scored. Christian Villanueva was awfully productive going 3-for-5 with a double and four RBI’s. Justin Bour was 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored. The Smokies had six doubles in the victory.

On The Mound – Alberto Cabrera was outstanding tonight, he went six strong innings giving up two runs on four hits, he didn’t walk anyone and struck out nine. Zach Rosscup was inspired by Cabrera and tried to one up him, Rosscup went two innings and only gave up one hit and struck out five. Trey McNutt tossed a scoreless frame to close things out.

At The Plate – The D-Cubs mashed the ball all over the place tonight, something this team most definitely can do. Zeke DeVoss had a big night at the top of the order going 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, a walk, two RBI’s, a stolen base and a run scored. Javier Baez was 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, two RBI’s and a run scored. John Andreoli, and Ben Carhart each had three hits, and Jorge Soler was 1-for-5 in the victory.

On The Mound – Quite the combo on the mound for the D-Cubs tonight. Starling Peralta got the start and went 4.1 scoreless innings, he gave up only one hit while walking three and striking out five. Ryan Searle followed that up with 4.2 scoreless innings, he gave up two hits, walked no one, and struck out six. The final line for D-Cubs pitching, nine innings, three hits, no runs, three walks, and eleven strikeouts.

At The Plate – The Cougars pounded out ten hits, unfortunately they were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Rock Shoulders was 1-for-4 with a double, and an RBI. Chadd Krist was 2-for-3 with a walk, and Wes Darvill was 3-for-4 with a double. The Cougars made three errors on the night, and all were costly.

On The Mound – I mentioned the costly errors, here’s the proof. Tayler Scott got the start and was really good going six innings giving up one run, unearned on four hits while striking out six. Jeffry Antigua was solid out of the pen in three innings of work, he gave up three runs, all unearned, on three hits while walking two and striking out two.

Peoria finished the season strong beating Kane County 6-2. Ben Wells got the start pitching two scoreless innings allowing no runs on three hits. Willengton Cruz got the win pitching 4.2 innings allowing two runs on just one hit. Luis Liria struggled with his command, walking four in just 0.2 innings, but got the ball to Pete Levitt who recorded his first save of the season throwing the final 1.2 innings. Yaniel Cabezas had the big blow going 2-for-4 with a three run home run in the fifth. Pin-Chieh Chen also had two hits and a scored a run. Dustin Geiger was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI and Timothy Saunders had a hit and a run scored. Jorge Soler and Chadd Krist each had a hit in the win.

Tennessee ended the season on a high note as well beating Pensacola 8-1. Austin Kirk was good getting a win in his final start giving up one run on four hits in 5.2 innings. Frank Batista, Jaye Chapman, Rafael Dolis, and Trey McNutt combined to pitch the final 3.1 innings striking out three, giving up two hits, and allowing no runs. Newly acquired Anthony Recker was 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs. He his a three run shot in the seventh. Jae-Hoon Ha and Matt Cerda also had two hits a piece with Cerda driving in one run. Rubi Silva had a hit and drove in two in the Smokies win. Junior Lake, Logan Watkins, and Matt Szczur all had a hit and a run scored on the day.

Boise closed out the regular season by winning a wild one Saturday night 12-11. Boise took an early lead, but gave up six in the fourth and five in the fifth and were quickly down by six runs. They came storming back scoring four in the sixth, one in the seventh, and two in the ninth to get the victory. Marco Hernadez was 4-for-6 with three runs scored and two RBIs, including the game tying RBI and the winning run scored. Dan Vogelbach had three hits and three RBIs. Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-4 with a double, triple, three runs scored, and two RBIs. Albert Almora and Rock Shoulders each had two hits, with Almora knocking one in and Wilson Contreras had two RBIs including the game winner. Stephen Bruno kept the hitting streak alive as he went 1-for-1, with an RBI, but was ejected shortly after that. Ian Dickson got the start, giving up six runs, four earned in just 3.1 innings. Hunter Ackerman followed and gave up five runs, two earned over the next 1.2 innings. Brian Smith was tremendous pitching three perfect innings with four strikeouts. Rafael Diplan got his third win of the season pitching a scoreless ninth. Boise starts their playoffs on Monday.

Peoria gave up three in the sixth and took the loss 6-5. Jeff Antigua got the start, but struggled a bit giving up six runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings. Justin Berg came on and pitched the final 2.1 innings not allowing a run. Bijan Rademacher had a nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Oliver Zapata also had a double and rove in two. Chadd Krist was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored. Jorge Soler, Zeke DeVoss and Jacob Rogers each had a hit a piece, with Rogers scoring two runs. Peoria has two more games against Kane County as the season will come to a close on Monday.

Daytona beat Brevard County on Saturday 4-2. Matt Loosen got the start and pitched quite well in his five innings. He allowed one run on two hits and struck out six, in earning his 11th win of the season. Jeff Lorick gave up a run, but pitched the next two innings before getting the ball to AJ Morris threw the final two innings and earned his seventh save of the season. John Andreoli, who has had a really nice season waited until tonight to hit his first home run of the season. He ended the night 2-for-3 with two runs scored, an RBI, and two stolen bases bringing his total to 55. Nelson Perez was 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI and Rafael Lopez had a hit and knocked one in as well. Javier Baez and Christian Villanueva each had a hit, with Villanueva stealing two bases and scoring a run as well. Daytona’s season will come to a close on Sunday.

Tennessee scored two in the fifth, but gave up one in the ninth to lose 3-2. Eric Jokisch started, but did not factor in the decision going five innings and allowing one run on six hits, while striking out five. After Zach Rosscup gave up a run in his inning of work, both Jaye Chapman and Rafael Dolis pitched a scoreless inning each. Kevin Rhoderick took the loss giving up a run in the ninth inning. Logan Watkins was 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs, he also walked twice. Matt Szczur had two hits, including a double and he scored a run. The pitcher Eric Jokisch and pinch hitter Dustin Harrington were the only other Smokies to record a hit in the loss. Tennessee has two games left and will end their season on Monday.

Boise got the bats going once again beating Everett 9-5. Stephen Bruno was back at it going 2-for-3 with an RBI, he is now hitting .354. Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-3 with a home run, his 10th of the season. Rock Shoulders had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and two RBIs. Darien Martin and Marco Hernandez each had a hit and an RBI. Albert Almora was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Tayler Scott started, but did not factor in the decision pitching only four innings and allowing three runs, two earned. Michael Heesch did get the win pitching the next two innings not allowing a run. Nathan Dorris pitched two scoreless innings and Eduardo Orozco pitched the final frame, giving up two runs.

Cedar Rapids jumped on Peoria early and held on to beat Peoria 9-5. Jorge Soler was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Chadd Krist and Jacob Rogers each had one hit and one RBI, with Krist having a triple. Zeke DeVoss and Dustin Geiger each had a hit and a hit and combined to score three runs. Yao-Lin Wang started and struggled, giving up nine runs, seven earned on eight hits in getting the loss. Bryce Shafer and Pete Levitt combined to pitch the last five scoreless innings.

Christian Villanueva had a good first game as Daytona won 4-1. Villanueva was 2-for-3 with a home run, RBI, and two runs scored. Javier Baez was 1-for-3 with a triple, RBI, and run scored. Taylor Davis, Elieser Bonne, and John Andreoli all had a hit a piece in the win. PJ Francescon started and was really good pitching six innings allowing one run on three hits, while striking out three. AJ Morris got the call in the seventh and recorded his sixth save of the season.

It took extra innings in game two as Daytona ended up on the losing end of the second one 3-1. Frank Del Valle started and pitched five innings allowing one run and striking out six. Ryan Searle pitched a scoreless sixth, but Jeffrey Lorick struggled giving up two runs in the eighth inning as he took the loss. Rebel Ridling accounted for the only run for the Cubs as he hit a home run in the fourth inning. Javier Baez was 1-for-3 with a stolen base in game two. John Andreoli, Elieser Bonne, and Rafael Lopez all had a hit in the loss.

Iowa got shut out on Wednesday losing 3-0 to Nashville. Ryan Rowland-Smith started and took the loss giving up one run, two earned in five innings. Jay Jackson threw one perfect inning in relief striking out one and Jeff Beliveau gave up one run in two innings of work. There was nothing too exciting on the offensive end. Diory Hernandez was 2-for-4 with two doubles. New Cub Anthony Recker was 1-for-3 with a double and Adrian Cardenas also had a double in the loss. Greg Rohan, Dave Sappelt, and Jeff Frazier all had one hit a piece in the shutout loss.

The Cubs scored three in the second and that was enough as they beat the Giants 3-1. Ryan McNeil was outstanding pitching four scoreless, hitless innings. he did however walk three and struck out two, his ERA now sits at 1.35. Corbin Hoffner was equally as impressive striking out five in two scoreless innings. After Chad Marin gave up a run, Alvido Jimenez came in and struck out two, pitching 1.1 perfect innings and getting the win. Steve Perakslis pitched the ninth and notched his second save of the season. Yasiel Balaguert was all the offense the Cubs needed hitting a three-run home run in the second. Carlos Penalver, David Bote, and Dan Lockhart all had a hits a piece in the Cub win.

Peoria beat Wisconsin again on Monday, beating them 7-3. Starling Peralta was good on Monday starting and getting his fifth win of the year. He pitched six innings allowing two runs on three hits, while walking two and striking out eight. Luis Liria struck out two in two innings and Bryce Shafer pitched the final frame giving up a run and striking one out. Jacob Rogers had another nice night at plate going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. Bijan Rademacher had two hits of his own knocking in two on the night and Chadd Krist had a hit and an RBI as well. Timothy Saunders and Dustin Geiger each had a hit and scored a run, with Saunders stealing his seventh base of the season. Jorge Soler had a double and scored two runs in the win.

Tennessee scored five in the first two innings and held on to beat Mobile 5-3. Dae-Eun Rhee started and got the win going five innings, allowing two runs, one earned on eight hits. Zach Rosscup, Casey Weathers, and Tony Zych combined to pitch the next three innings and got the ball to Brian Schlitter who notched his fifth save of the season pitching a perfect ninth. Jae-Hoon Ha had nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Junior Lake and Logan Watkins each had two hits, with Watkins scoring a run and Lake having a double. Matt Szczur and Rubi Silva each had a hit in the Smokies win.

Iowa scored two in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough losing to Nashville 4-3. Seth McClung started and took the loss allowing four runs on eight hits in five innings. Esmailin Caridad, Jaye Chapman, and Marcus Hatley all pitched a hitless and scoreless inning each of baseball. Greg Rohan ended the night 2-for-4 with a home run, his fourth since moving to Iowa. Dave Sappelt hit his seventh homer of the season, a two run shot in the ninth. James Adduci, Tony Campana, and Alfredo Amezaga all had a hit in the Cubs loss on Monday night.

It was a game of big innings early, until the ninth when the AZL Cubs walked off with another win, this time 8-7. Paul Blackburn started, but wasn’t at his best giving up three runs on four hits in three innings of work. Rafael Dolis and Jasvir Rakkar each pitched an inning allowing two runs a piece. Ethan Elias did a great job keeping the Giants at seven runs as pitched the next three innings allowing no runs on no hits, while walking two and striking out four. The good luck charm Steve Perakslis improved his record to 4-0 as he got the win after pitching a scoreless ninth. The Cubs had a lot of nice days offensively. Carlos Penalver and Yasiel Balaguert each had two hits and drove in two a piece. Ben Carhart was 2-for-6 with a walk off single and Shawon Dunston had one hit, a double and three RBIs. Trevor Gretzky and David Bote both contributed with two hits and combined two score three runs for the Cubs. Daniel Lockhart and Garrett Schlecht each had a hit and an RBI in the Cubs victory. The victory clinched a spot in the playoffs for the Cubs.

Boise got out to a quick start and held on to beat Vancouver 8-6. After a recent struggle Jeimer Candelario appears to have broken out as he went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, and three RBIs. Stephen Bruno stayed red-hot going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Dan Vogelbach also had two hits, including a double and an RBI. Wilson Contreras and Gioskar Amaya each had a hit with Contreras knocking in two and Amaya one. Albert Almora left the game early with an apparent injury, but I have no word yet as to what the problem was. Ian Dickson started, but did not factor in the decision as was only able to last 4.1 innings as he allowed four runs on seven hits. Hunter Ackerman did get the victory as he threw the next 2.2 innings giving up one run and striking out five. Eduardo Orozco got the ball to Nathan Dorris and Dorris closed out the win and the second half for Boise. With the victory Boise is the second half winners and are headed to the playoffs.

A three run fourth was enough for Joseph Zeller and the Cubs bullpen as they beat Wisconsin 3-2. Zeller pitched quite well giving up one run on seven hits in six innings. Sheldon McDonald pitched the next two innings allowing one run, but got the ball to Larry Suarez who notched his fifth save of the season striking out two in a scoreless ninth. Timothy Saunders had another nice night going 2-for-4 with a homer and a double. Chadd Krist also hit a home run, a two run shot in the fourth inning. Oliver Zapata had a hit, two walks, and two stolen bases and Zeke DeVoss also added a hit in the Chiefs win.

Daytona lost game one to Tampa 3-2. Although they only had three hits, they threatened late, but couldn’t finish. Ronald Torreyes, Elieser Bonne, and Vladimir Frias were the only Cubs to have hits on Saturday. Nelson Perez drove in the two Cubs runs in game one without the benefit of a hit. Eduardo Figueroa started, but took a no decision as didn’t give up a run in four inning, while striking out six. Matt Spencer took the loss as he really struggled with his command walking five and allowing all three of the Yankees runs to score in just 0.2 innings. Matt Iannazzo finished game one out throwing a scoreless 1.1 innings.

Daytona returned the favor in game two as Ryan Searle and staff only allowed three hits in a 4-1 win. Searle started and pitched pretty good going five innings allowing one run on three hits and striking out five. From there Jeff Lorick pitched a scoreless sixth and Scott Weismann notched his fourth save of the season throwing a perfect seventh. John Andreoli and Ronald Torreyes hit one-two in the order and set the table of the Cubs in this one. Torreyes was 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored, and an RBI. John Andreoli was also 2-for-4 with a double, triple, and two runs scored. Rebel Ridling had two hits of his own and drove in one run and Nelson Perez drove in another run, again not having a hit. Javier Baez broke through with a double in the victory.

Mobile scored one in the ninth to tie it and got one in the 10th to beat Tennessee 4-3. Nicholas Struck was in line for the win pitching seven innings, allowing two runs, one earned on six hits, while striking out six. Zach Rosscup did his job getting the ball to Frank Batista, but Batista couldn’t get the save in this one allowing the ninth inning run. Casey Harman took the loss allowing an unearned run in the 10th. Rubi Silva had a nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Jae-Hoon Ha had three hits and Junior Lake had two hits and a run scored. Logan Watkins was 1-for-5 with a home run for the Smokies in the tough loss on Saturday.

Things have been better for Iowa as of late and Saturday was no different as they beat Oklahoma City 4-1. Ty’Relle Harris started and got the win pitching six strong innings. He allowed one run on four hits while striking out six. Miguel Socolovich and Jeff Beliveau each pitched a perfect frame to get the ball to Jairo Asencio who struck out two and pitched a scoreless ninth to record his fifth save of the season. The Cubs had a few nice nights offensively on Saturday starting with Diory Hernandez who had a home run and three RBIs. Dave Sappelt was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Matt Tolbert also had two hits with a run scored. Greg Rohan and Jeff Frazier each had two hits a piece with Frazier having two doubles and Rohan having one. It is good to see Iowa finishing the season strong.

It was an exciting night, Congrats to Boise Hawks and the AZL Cubs in clinching a playoff birth.

Things were looking good for Boise after a six run second, but Vancouver quickly scored four in the bottom half and ended up beating the Hawks 7-6. With Tayler Scott staked to a four run lead, it was easy to assume this one was over, but Scott was not at his best today, but left with a chance to win as he left with the lead. He pitched five innings allowing five runs on seven hits, while walking four and striking out three. Rafael Diplan pitched the final three innings and took the loss as he gave up two runs, one of which was unearned. At the plate Marco Hernandez had a good night going 3-for-4 with a run scored. Albert Almora and Jeimer Candelario also had good nights as each had two hits with Almora scoring a run. Lance Rymel had one hit on the evening and also drove in two runs. Darien Martin and Stephen Bruno each had a hit and an RBI in the loss. Not a good loss for Boise, but they have come back strong all second half, I expect much of the same.

Beloit took an early lead and never looked back beating Peoria 8-2 on Friday night. Yao-Lin Wang started and took the loss pitching 4.1 innings and allowing six runs, four earned on 10 hits. Willengton Cruz pitched two innings allowing two runs and Austin Reed pitched a scoreless frame. There were only a couple bright spots on the offensive side of things for the Chiefs in this one. Dustin Geiger was 2-for-3 with a home run, his 17th of the season and two RBIs. Chadd Krist also had two hits and Zeke DeVoss added a hit and scored a run as well. Jorge Soler got the night off for Peoria.

Daytona won the first game of a double-header on Friday 4-3. Kyle Hendricks started and got his first win with the Cubs as he went five innings allowing two runs on three hits, while striking out three. AJ Morris recorded his fifth save of the season as he pitched the final two innings of game one. Down 2-0 Elieser Bonne quickly gave the Cubs the lead connecting on a three run homer, his third of the season. In the sixth inning Christian Villanueva gave Daytona a two run lead as he hit his third home run since coming to the Cubs. John Andreoli had two hits in the win.

Game two didn’t go as well as Daytona lost to Tampa 11-5. Matt Loosen had a really rough outing as he gave up eight runs on five hits to go along with six walks and seven strikeouts. Hunter Cervenka proved to not be much better allowing three more runs over the next 2.2 innings. Offensively speaking Christian Villanueva started right where he left off going 2-for-3 witha double and two runs scored. Elieser Bonne also had two hits including a double and John Andreoli had a hit and two RBIs. Rebel Ridling and Nelson Perez each had a hit and an RBI a piece. Javier Baez was held hitless in game one, but added a hit and an RBI in the game two loss.

A seven run third inning helped Tennessee beat Mobile 11-5. Dallas Beeler was the beneficiary of all those runs as he got the win despite giving up five runs in five innings. Kevin Rhoderick and Tony Zych pitched two scoreless innings a piece to close out the game. The Smokies a had few really nice nights at the plate starting with Matt Sczcur who was 2-for-4 with a home run and three runs scored. Logan Watkins was 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI. Jae-Hoon Ha and Rubi Silva each had two hits with Ha having two doubles and driving in three. Silva hit his first home run and drove in two. Junior Lake had a home run of his own and knocked in three. Justin Bour had a double and walked three times, but unbelievably didn’t have an RBI in the Smokies 11 run win.

Iowa scored two in the seventh and one in the eighth to defeat Oklahoma City 5-3. Yoanner Negrin started, but did not factor in the decision as he gave up three runs on eight hits in six innings pitched. Jay Jackson got the win in relief as he pitched a scoreless seventh inning. After Scott Maine threw a scoreless eighth Jairo Asencio struck out two in the ninth and picked up his fourth save. Tony Campana had a nice night at the top of the order going 2-for-4 with a triple, a run scored, and an RBI. Jeff Frazier and Diory Hernandez each had two hits with Hernandez driving in one run. Adrian Cardenas had only one hit, but it was a home run as he knocked in two in the Cubs win.

Down 8-2 the AZL Cubs came storming back to not only tie the game in the ninth, but score five in the 10th to win it. Dillon Maples started, but struggled with his control walking four and giving up four runs in just 1.2 innings. After Loiger Padron gave up four runs over 2.1 innings the rest of the pen did a pretty good job only allowing one more run to score. Chad Martin ended up getting the win as he struck out four in just one inning. Justin Marra had a good night at the plate going 3-for-5 with three doubles and two RBIs. David Bote and Trevor Gretzky each had two hits and two RBIs a piece in the win. Shawon Dunston had two hits and an RBI and Yasiel Balaguert drove in two runs of his own. Ben Carhart ended the night 1-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored and Anthony Giansanti scored two and knocked on in as well. This was a great comeback win for the Cubs.

Boise has been scoring a lot of runs lately and Thursday was no different beating Vancouver 11-5. Boise once again pounded out 17 hits to go along with their 11 runs. Albert Almora was back in the lineup and he went 4-for-5, including two doubles, three runs scored, and two RBIs. Wilson Contreras and Darien Martin each had three hits with Martin knocking in three runs and Contreras scoring three and driving in one as well. Dan Vogelbach and Stephen Bruno each had two hits, both collecting doubles. Rock Shoulders and Izaac Garsez both had a hit and RBI in the Hawks victory. Hayden Simpson started and got the win as he allowed three runs on six hits in five innings, while striking out seven. Brian Smith pitched two nice innings in relief not giving up a run and striking out two. Tyler Bremer finished this one off for the Hawks striking out two over the last 1.1 innings. Boise’s magic number is now at two.

Behind Michael Jensen Peoria beat Beloit 6-1. Jensen was stellar pitching six innings allowing only one run on two hits, while striking out four. He is now 11-5 with a 3.47 ERA. Justin Berg and Larry Suarez combined to pitch the final three innings, not giving up a run and striking out three. Leadoff hitter Zeke DeVoss had a really nice game going 3-for-4 with a home run. Pin-Chieh Chen continued to impress as he had two hits, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Jorge Soler and Chadd Krist each had a double and Soler had an RBI. Timothy Saunders is human as he didn’t have a hit in this, but he did drive in a run and Jacob Rogers contributed to the win with a hit and a run scored.

Robert Whitenack gave up three in the first and that was all Clearwater would need beating Daytona 3-0. On a positive note Kyler Burke pitched three scoreless innings in relief striking out three. Matt Iannazzo, Scott Weismann, and Jeff Lorick combined to throw the final two innings of the game. Offensively there really is nothing to report as Daytona only had three hits. John Andreoli, Ronald Torreyes, and Rebel Ridling were the only Cubs to have hits in the shutout loss.

After scoring five runs over the first two innings Tennessee had to hold on in this one beating Chattanooga 5-4. Austin Kirk started, but got a no decision as he wasn’t able to finish five innings giving up four runs in 4.2 innings. He gave up four hits, walked five, and struck out six. Trey McNutt pitched a perfect innings and recorded his eighth win of the season. Brian Schlitter struck out three in two innings and Frank Batista earned his 24th save of the season as he pitched a scoreless ninth. At the plate Justin Bour was 2-for-4 including his 35th double and an RBIs bringing his season total to 109. Jae-Hoon Ha and Junior Lake each had a double and drove in two runs of their own. Rubi Silva and Michael Brenly each had a hit and a run scored in the Smokies victory.

A two run second was enough for Oklahoma City as they hung on to beat Iowa 2-1. Ryan Rowland-Smith started and took the loss giving up two runs in five innings. Marcus Hatley, Jeff Beliveau, and Esmailin Caridad combined to pitch the final four innings allowing only one hit and striking out five. Offensively speaking the Cubs had only six hits and one run, but there were a couple of good performances. Dave Sappelt was 2-for-4 including a double and an RBI. James Adduci also had a double in the this one and he stole his sixth base of the season. Tony Campana, Alfredo Amezaga, and Matt Tolbert all had a hit a piece with Amezaga scoring the Cubs only run in the 2-1 loss.

The AZL Cubs out hit the A’s, but also made five errors and lost 4-3. Ryan McNeil got the start going three innings allowing no runs on two hits, while striking out two. Rafael Dolis pitched another scoreless innings in relief. The fourth inning is really where the defense cost the Cubs as Corbin Hoffner gave up three runs, only one earned in two innings. Alvido Jimenez took the loss allowing one run on two hits in two inning of work. Yasiel Balaguert had another nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 including a triple and an RBI. Carlos Penalver and David Bote also had two hits, Bote had a triple and scored a run. Alberto Mineo was 1-for-4 and drove in a run of his own. Daniel Lockhart, Shawon Dunston, and Trevor Gretzky all had one hit in the loss.

Boise put seven early, but had to hold on to beat Tri-City 7-6. The Hawks put up thirteen hits and had several players have a multi hit game. Dan Vogelbach was 3-for-5 including a triple and an RBI. Stephen Bruno had only one hit, but made it count hitting a three-run homer in the fourth. Albert Almora continued his hot stretch going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Izaac Garsez and Lance Rymel each had a two hits and they both drove in one. Jeimer Candelario only had one hit, but drove in another run. Rock Shoulders and Marco Hernandez each had a hit in the victory as well. Justin Amlung started, but did not factor in the decision as he only lasted two innings allowing one run on three hits. Michael Heesch pitched the next two innings and got the win for Boise. James Pugliese and Su-Min Jung each struggled over the next three innings, but got the game to Eduardo Orozco with the lead. Orozco closed out the game recording his fifth save as he pitched two scoreless innings striking out three. Although they allowed Tri-City to mount a comeback it was good to see Boise hold on.

Peoria lost to Burlington on Friday 5-4. Starling Peralta got the start and pitched pretty good giving up three runs, two earned on five hits in six innings. He also struck out eight in the no decision. Austin Reed took the loss in relief giving up two runs in his one inning of work. Bryce Schafer struck out three in two scoreless innings. Chadd Krist got back on track going 2-for-3 with a home run and a double. Wes Darvill and Dustin Geiger each contributed offensively with a solo home run a piece. Timothy Saunders added a triple and Sergio Burruel also had a hit. Jorge Soler was back in the lineup, but really struggled going 0-for-4 with three strike outs. It has been a tough stretch for Peoria as of late.

Going into the eighth Daytona was tied at two, but gave up three runs in the inning and lost 5-2. Kyle Hendricks started and went four innings allowing two runs on three hits in a no decision. Kyler Burke continued his struggles since going to Daytona as he gave up three runs in five innings taking his seventh loss at Daytona. Christian Villanueva had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. John Andreoli and Nelson Perez each added two hits as well, both having a double. Javier Baez had another hit and stole two bases, his first two since moving up. Rafael Lopez added a hit in the losing effort on Friday.

Tennessee scored two in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough as they lost 5-4 to Birmingham on Friday. Starting pitcher Dae-Eun Rhee took the loss giving up four runs on nine hits in just 4.2 innings. Trey McNutt gave up a run, but struck out two in his 1.1 inning of work. Casey Weathers and Brian Schlitter combined to pitch the last two innings of scoreless baseball. Rubi Silva was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Jae-Hoon Ha, Justin Bour, and Chad Noble all drove in a run without getting a base hit on Friday. Junior Lake was 1-for-3 with a triple and a run scored. Logan Watkins had a double and scored a run on the night as well.

Tied going to the eighth, Iowa put up four in the eighth and three in the ninth to beat Tucson 8-1. Dave Sappelt had a big night going 3-for-5 with a home run and a double. He also drove in four on the night. Alfredo Amezaga also had three hits and scored two runs. Diory Hernandez had a double and drove in two. Greg Rohan and Jeff Frazier each had a hit and had an RBI a piece. Nate Samson contributed to the victory with two hits of his own. In his first start with the Cubs Horacio Ramirez went six strong giving up only one run on six hits. Scott Maine got the win striking out three in his two innings and Jairo Asencio pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the game.

The AZL Cubs just exploded pounding out 25 hits and scoring 17 runs beating Reds 17-7. I don’t even know where to start with this one, except make sure to look at the full box score because I won’t be able to mention all the awesome things that happened in this one. Albert Almora led the way going 5-for-6 with a triple, three runs scored, and three RBIs. Garrett Schlect had two doubles and drove in three and Daniel Lockhart hit his first home run and drove in three as well. Carlos Penalver was 4-for-6 with three runs scored and Yasiel Balaguert was the only Cub to not have a multi-hit game, but he did knock in three of his own. Trevor Gretzky, Shawon Dunston, and Justin Marra all had three hits a piece, with Dunston adding two RBIs and Marra driving in one. David Bote also had two hits. There I think I got through all of the offensive numbers. Paul Blackburn started, but did not have his best outing allowing four runs, three earned in two innings. On a positive Dillon Maples was spectacular pitching three scoreless innings allowing only two hits while striking out five. Chad Martin and Ryan Hartman also pitched in this landslide victory.

A nine run eighth was way too much for Boise to overcome losing 11-4 on Monday night. Jose Arias pitched six innings allowing two runs on six hits, while striking out four. He left in line for the win and after Willengton Cruz pitched a scoreless seventh things were looking good. Good turned to really bad when Hayden Simpson came on in relief. He had a terrible outing giving up eight run, six earned on six hits all the while only recording one out. He obviously took the loss as there was no way the Hawks were going to come back from that. Offensively speaking there were some good things to come out of the Monday nights loss. Jeimer Candelario was 3-for-4, raising his average to .294. Marco Hernandez had two hits of his own, including a triple and an RBI. Stephen Bruno and Wilson Contreras had a hit and an RBI a piece while Gioskar Amaya added two hits from the leadoff spot.

Peoria tied the game at two in the top of eighth, but gave one up in the bottom half and lost 3-2 to Beloit. Yao-Lin Wang started and pitched pretty good going six innings allowing two runs on three hits, walking one and striking out four. Austin Reed took the loss allowing one unearned run in his two innings of work. Jorge Soler went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Oliver Zapata added a double and an RBI on the evening. Zeke DeVoss, Chadd Krist, and Bijan Rademacher all had one hit a piece in the Chiefs loss on Monday.

Iowa’s pitchers struggled big time in this one as the Cubs lost 14-7. Ryan Rowland-Smith started and took the loss giving up five runs in four inning. Jaye Chapman, Seth McClung and Brian Esposito all pitched and gave up multiple runs each. Jay Jackson was the only Cubs pitcher to come out unscathed recording two outs. Offensively speaking Tony Campana had a nice night going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two stolen bases. Greg Rohan and Dave Sappelt each had a hit and two RBIs in the loss to Las Vegas on Monday night.

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